The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-21

always held their consciences in the most
scrupulous honor.
l suppose it was this catholicity of his
spirit. joined to the ardor and vigor of his ma
ture, which made him the progressive man
he was, in his studies, his thinking, and his
works. He never stopped growing. He
never ceased to read and watch for new
truth and hail it when it came, till disease
seized him, and summoned all his energies
to the long wrestle in which he gave up his
life. 1t was always marvel to me how he
kept himself abreast of the leaders of
thought and administration in our church.
He was always advancing. He was always
exhorting others to do the same. And when
our church moved forward, to take up some
new thought or some new policy, lol he was
there among the first, hopeful, patient, in
dustrious in applying the new idea. He had
no sympathy with that class of men and
women who linger belated in prejudices
generation old. In his last days, when he
was first weakening under disease, somebody
chanced to ask him if he knew why a certain
church had become dormant, if not dead.
Certainly" he replied, Strengthening him.
self and putting both fire and scorn into his
voice, Certainly; they died of old fogyism."
He never was in danger from that cause.
There was no man of my own age and sur
roundings with whom l could discuss current
religious thought more profitably than with
him. To the last he watched all the trend of
thought and of feeling, in keenest sympathy
with all that was progressive, in a large
knowledge of the books and the men that
were making the history of the present de-
cade. AT the opening of the last of the
books that came from his hand, find
quotation from one of the works which is
doing SO much to mould current theological
ideas, Munger's "Freedom of the Faith. i"
And in one of the last conversations we had
before left New England, he made me name
half score of what 1 considered the best
of recent works on his favorite theme, ''The
Evidences of Christianity
This trait, SO unusual in man of 75. marked
him through all his old age. He never fell
into that habit of retrospect which strands
a mans thought in the past, and makes him
seem like only relic of some bygone day.
In ell his thought and all his utterances con-
cerning the Universalist Church, he spoke,
not as might have been expected, like mem
Der of past generation, whose chief
Thought was of what had been accomplished
and not at all of what remained to be done.
His mind was ever dwelling on present needs
and future prospects. In 1888, he observed
the 50th anniversary of his entrance into the
Christian ministry, preaching on that occa-
sion before the First Church in Lynn, Mass.
And his words that day were as full of inter
est in the present and the future of the Uni
versalist Church asif he were just beginning
his ministry instead Of near its close And
the last discourse 1 ever heard from his lips,
preached among his beloved New Hampshire
hills, in the town of Rumney, where he was
ordained. His theme, instead of running
into reminiscence, and dwelling upon the
glories of bygone day, was vigorous and
telling statement of the needs and the rev
sources of our church. never knew SO old
a man so young in thought. In the same
birthday hymn from which 1 have quoted,
he exclaims, in glad sense of present life and
good
81 bless thee for this day, SO full
Of truth and life from thee,
The harbinger of greater good
Our new earth yet shall see;
For creeds improved, base laws annulled,
Old hate and wrong outgrown,
And man, thy child, more truly led
Thy fatherhood to own"
Those "creeds improved" those "base
laws annuled," were ends for which he had
given the strength of his days For he was
always found in the front ranks of those who
were fighting for reform in his time. He
was an abolitionist in the days when Garrison
and Phillips began their work He was a
warm advocate of the temperance cause
and never missed an opportunity to deal a
blow at the drink evil. He spoke and labored
against the practice of capital punishment,
and for the establishment of peace among
the nations. He was believer in the equal
rights of the sexes, and especially in the Uni
versalist Church he gave all his influence in
favor of the admission of women to the
and of their active participation
in all church work. He was in every fibre of
his nature reformer. And it was always
wonder to me why, in the intensity of his
feeling and the unsparing energy with which
he urged his views, he so completely escaped
the perils of fanaticsm. But he was always
wise in his advocacy. He had a good judg-
ment, which saved him from the absurdities
into which untempered ardor sometimes
plunges men. He could see ''the other side,"
and that saved him.
OF his more personal and private character,
hardly dare trust myself to speak. 1t was
full of noble and lovable traits. 1t was alb
solutely free from baseness. He was the
most guileless of men. He could not do a
selfish or mean act. He was pure as a wo-
man. He did not know how to dissemble;
If he ever tried, he betrayed himself in the
very awkwardness of his stimulation. He was
as gentle as ne was courageous. He never
sought for honors nor for reward. He
never could truckle to wrong nor compromise
with evil. He was fair and just in all things
and to all men; and that in man of his
enthusiasm, loyalty, devotion to causes, was
a great deal. His open, frank and kindly
nature made him everybodys friend; and 1
think there are few men in our church more
widely known and beloved. His personal
religion was unalloyed. He was a Christian
III MS most private moments. He never put
OF his piety. 1t was part of him, and he
could as soon have laid aside his will or his
affections. And all through the long months
of his illness in the hard grim wrestle he had
with the great conqueror of our mortality,
ne never lost his faith, his obedience, his love
toward God. 1t was sad indeed to see the
vigorous mind clouded, and the strong body
weakened and suffering. But nothing could
cloud his love, nor abate his spirits hold on